Chief Minister’s intervention increases cavalcade participation
In the past Mr Abudarham called for more participants following years of diminishing numbers, but he now believes that this year’s surge will cement its long-lasting legacy.
“Thanks to the intervention of the Chief Minister, there are government departments involved this year,” he said. “He rang them up and said that they needed to support us. Although not obligatory, it was certainly heavily encouraged.”
In Last year’s 60th anniversary Mr Abudarham made a pledge to the future success of the cavalcade and was adamant that it would not fade away from the calendar.
“The cavalcade will never disappear,” he said. “In the worst case scenario we would just go out with the Three Kings.”
UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER
Mr Abudarham constantly checks the weather forecast ahead of the event and admitted that he was worried about the possibility of heavy rains in the evening.
“The forecast changes all the time, but at the moment it says that the heavy rains will come well after the cavalcade’s conclusion,” he said. “It can really spoil the event, but we cannot fight the elements. I am hoping the prediction holds up and we don’t get any surprises.”
The cavalcade enthusiast, who has sat on the throne on more than one occasion, also approached Mr Picardo to discuss the lack of space for the construction of floats.
“This year we have been lucky that the government has found us a place and, as a result, six of the floats are now covered from the rain at the Coach Park,” he said. “It makes a difference when the space is covered. We are coming into the rainy season, which can potentially spoil months of hard work in one downpour.”
COMMUNITY FEEL
The cavalcade has been synonymous with the community since its conception in 1957 and has always sparked wonder for children and adults alike.
It is the first community event after the New Year and draws in crowds numbering in the thousands crammed on either side of Main Street.
“Many people make a night out of it by going for a meal afterwards with the entire family,” Mr Abudarham said.
Over the last few months participants have increased their pace to complete their floats to an adequate standard in time for the event.
“Some people have been going down every other day to work on their respective projects,” he said. “It is great to see this level of commitment. Some of the floats are of a very good quality this year. I reckon there will be strong competition, but it is all about giving the community a memorable experience.”
The Three Kings’ journey also leads them to the hospital where they hand out gifts to sick children as well as visiting newborns, which is symbolic of the kings visiting baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
“Few people know about this, but it is another extremely important aspect of what we try and do.”
FOND MEMORIES
Mr Abudarham jarred his memory back to when one of his sons, Lee, and his nephew, Brian, dressed up as his pages when he turned out as one of the kings.
“It was their first time. They must have been eight or nine-years-old and I remember how excited they were. It brought great joy to my heart and that is the kind of feeling synonymous to this event.”
He remembers when the three kings rode horses down Main Street instead of camels and, despite limited resources, there was ‘real commitment’.
Mr Abudarham also recounted a ‘close call’ incident in the mid-eighties when the driver of the Three Kings float decided to bring them through Casemates, despite a tight squeeze.
“It all collapsed after it struck a wall and that was a dire situation as it was passed 3pm. There were only a few hours to get it fixed, which was improvised by patching it back up using small nails. It arrived at Casemates ten minutes before the 7.30pm start, so thankfully it all worked out in the end, but it was a close one.”
A total of 16 floats, four associations performing on the street and three bands, along with the pageant queens, will strut their stuff along Main Street tomorrow evening as from 7.30pm.
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